Outside Effects

Start by making sure that any windows which face the front of the house have been blacked out from inside. Black plastic garbage bags work fine. You may have to split them or double them up but they’re cheap enough. Black plastic shower curtains can often be found in the dollar stores. Grab a lot if you can find them because we’ll be using them later.

Replace your porch and outside lights with blue, red, or orange bulbs. A black light works great on the porch if you have some glow-in-the-dark critters or effects you can place nearby. If your street is well lit then the black light effect is reduced, so save your money in that case.

Portable spot or flood lights with colored bulbs can be aimed at your roof or door to add additional lighting effects. If you have some Tiki Torches left over from the summer then place them strategically up and down the front walk.

Wal-Mart and the better Dollar Stores have Halloween lights that are a lot like Christmas lights but have little pumpkins or cats on each bulb. They’re cheap and you can string them around railings and lay them in bushes. Of course you’ll need some black cats, jack-o’-lanterns and fake spider webs hanging from the porch.

Inside the Front Door

When your gory guests first set foot inside your haunted house, set the tone for the remainder of their visit by having a body hanging from the inside light fixture or some other convenient point of death. Stuff a pair of jeans and an old shirt like you’re making a scarecrow. You can use an empty bleach container for the face and cut out or paint on the features. Top it off with an old hat. Or, as an alternative, hang a huge papier-mâché bat instead of the dead guy. Don’t forget plenty of plastic spiders and webs.

The remainder of the house

Close off doors to rooms where you don’t want visitors to go. Decorate the doors to look like coffins, or hang ghoulish effects over them. You can also block them off using black plastic or shower curtains. Most visitors won’t even know that the doors are there. Doors to off-limit rooks are also great places to station your human ghoul helpers who will be jumping out and scaring the dickens out of your guests. Just make sure that they know to never actually touch anyone. That can open you up to a lot of legal problems and it might get them into a fist-fight with a visitor with no sense of humor.

Create you inside effects by using dark and colored lighting in each room. Black light sensitive decorations work great inside but only if you have black light bulbs installed! Sprinkle gruesome props throughout your rooms. You can make great bloody hands by filling surgical gloves up with sand, tying the open end off with a rubber band, and then some “blood” effects with red paint Dry ice creates great fog effects but it will burn the skin if touched so don’t leave it where guests can get at it.

Keep several a fire extinguishers handy and spread them around the house. Make sure that your helpers know how to use them. Also make sure that each helper has a flashlight and knows where the room’s light switches are in case anyone gets hurt or a young child becomes too frightened to continue the tour.

The most popular boys costumes for Halloween are the machine washable pirate and the dragon. What little boy wouldn’t love to put an easy on cape on and transform instantly into a medieval dragon. This cape is so cute and functional and fits kids 3-8. If your child likes dragons, but would prefer a different cape, you may like a machine washable pirate cape and hat with patch, a bat cape, spider cape, knight cape, or Superhero cape. Any number of these capes will allow for fun imaginative play and makes a fun and easy Halloween costume. You can buy these costumes as a set and get a sale price, or you can buy them individually at regular price.

If your little boy would like something a little more fancy, try out the Little Adventures brand knight and crusader costumes. The black knight costume comes in a fun black and red color and features a chain mail hood and sleeves. The crusader costume for boys comes in a fun royal blue color and also has chain mail on it. The crest on the shirt is extra fun and all of the Little Adventures costumes are comfortable to wear and are machine washable and made from high quality materials that are fun and quality. You will not find costumes like this at your local discount store, these costumes are very special and make great Halloween costumes or are also great for every day imaginative play.

If these dress ups just won’t do for the pickiest of the picky boys, you can choose from a fireman costume, with a plastic fireman hat. You can find one has reflective material that glows in the dark to keep your little boy safe on Halloween night. Another fun costume for under is a boys soldier costume. This boys costume also comes with a matching camouflage hat. This boys dress up is great for those boys who look up to their Army dads or heroes.Most of all, make sure you choose a costume that will be comfortable for your child to wear all day at school, and then to wear on Halloween night and for a long night of trick-or-treating. With a little planning, your holiday will be fun and exciting for you and your child!